Videos | The Institute for Justicehttps://www.ij.org/freedomflix/category/177
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 18:46:42 +0000Joomla! - Open Source Content Managementen-uswebmail@ij.org (The Institute for Justice)Censored in Florida: Creamery Owner Sues to End Labeling Censorship https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/ihcdnt-taam/177
https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/ihcdnt-taam/177Mary Lou just wants to tell the truth, but government orders her to mislead her own customers.]]>VideosWed, 05 Dec 2001 06:00:00 +0000Gov't to Citizens: Want Free Speech? Take a number. https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/yvdw7kntcn4/177
https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/yvdw7kntcn4/177Can the gov't pass a law saying that only the first 12 people to vote in an election get to vote for every office, or that only the first 12 people who arrive at church get to stay for the entire sermon?

But that is exactly what Minnesota law does when it comes to contributions for state political candidates.

Contributing to candidates for political office is a well-recognized First Amendment right and that right cannot be dished out on a first-come, first-served basis.

]]>VideosWed, 05 Dec 2001 06:00:00 +0000Raw Deal: Raw Milk Farmers Fight Censorship https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/ualu0r8trpg/177
https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/ualu0r8trpg/177In Oregon, it is perfectly legal for farmers to sell raw—or unpasteurized—milk...so long as they don’t talk about it. If they do, they face huge fines and jail time. But a major federal lawsuit filed this morning by the Institute for Justice (IJ), the national law firm for liberty, and Christine Anderson, owner of Cast Iron Farm in McMinnville, Ore., seeks to change that.

Oregon flatly bans the advertisement of raw milk, a perfectly legal product for farmers like Christine to sell. That means Christine and other farmers are prohibited from posting flyers at local stores, advertising sales online or via email, or even having a roadside sign at the farm saying “WE SELL RAW MILK.” If Christine does advertise that she sells raw milk, she faces a fine of $6,250 and civil penalties as high as $10,000—plus a year in jail.

http://www.ij.org/ORMilk

]]>VideosWed, 05 Dec 2001 06:00:00 +0000Sacramento's Sign Police vs. The First Amendment and Got Muscle Health Club https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/b-pkgaqzf3o/177
https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/b-pkgaqzf3o/177Businesses need to advertise to survive. For small businesses, signs are their most effective and least expensive option. But the City of Sacramento bans businesses from using sandwich boards, banners and other portable signs and is now enforcing its ban against the owners of a small independent gym, Carl and Elizabeth Fears. Without their sandwich board, the Fears have already lost countless customers. So the Fears and the Institute for Justice are fighting to protect their gym and the First Amendment right of every business to communicate with the public.]]>VideosWed, 05 Dec 2001 06:00:00 +0000Newspaper Censorship in America: Is this Celebrated Advice Columnist a Criminal? https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/7n1osn64gl8/177
https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/7n1osn64gl8/177In May 2013, John Rosemond—America's longest running newspaper columnist—received an astonishing order from the Kentucky attorney general: Stop publishing your advice column in the Bluegrass State or face fines and jail. The attorney general and Kentucky's psychologist licensing board believe that John's column, which is syndicated in more than 200 papers nationwide, constitutes the "unlicensed practice of psychology" in Kentucky when it appears in a Kentucky newspaper. Kentucky's crackdown is part of a national surge in the abuse of occupational licensing laws to censor advice.

On July 17, 2013, John joined the Institute for Justice to fight back in federal court. His First Amendment lawsuit defends freedom of speech and freedom of the press from government officials who believe that it can be a crime in America to express an opinion in the newspaper. John's challenge addresses one of the most important unsettled questions in First Amendment law: Can the government use occupational licensing laws to trump free speech?

]]>VideosWed, 05 Dec 2001 06:00:00 +0000Sign Codes vs. Free Speechhttps://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/pi6feexydo/177
https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/pi6feexydo/177Across the country, government is dealing a one-two punch to property rights and free speech. Using sign codes, cities are demanding large signs protesting eminent domain abuse be taken down. Free speech rights are essential to protect our other rights, including our property rights. If victims of eminent domain abuse can’t speak out against it, who can? IJ is working to defend individuals’ property rights and free speech rights when they come under attack.]]>VideosWed, 05 Dec 2001 06:00:00 +0000Caveman Blogger Fights for Free Speech and Internet Freedomhttps://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/l5eixdj25lc/177
https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/l5eixdj25lc/177Can the government throw you in jail for offering advice on the Internet about what food people should buy at the grocery store?

That is exactly the claim made by the North Carolina Board of Dietetics/Nutrition. In December 2011, diabetic blogger Steve Cooksey started a Dear Abby-style advice column on his popular blog (www.diabetes-warrior.net) to answer reader questions. One month later, the State Board informed Steve that he could not give readers advice on diet, whether for free or for compensation, because doing so constituted the unlicensed, and thus criminal, practice of dietetics. The State Board also told Steve that his private emails and telephone calls with readers and friends were illegal, as was his paid life-coaching service. The State Board went through Steve's writings with a red pen, indicating what he may and may not say without a government-issued license.

This Institute for Justice lawsuit involves free speech and Internet freedom while centering on one of the most important unresolved issues in First Amendment law: When does occupational licensing trump the First Amendment? The outcome will have widespread implications for medicine, law, psychology, investment advice, and many other occupations that often involve nothing but speech in the form of advice. The facts make it an ideal lawsuit for eventual consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dr. Ron Hines is a highly regarded licensed veterinarian who's never had any complaints against him. Being a disabled and retired senior citizen, the Internet allows him to remain productive in his golden years. Yet he's been fined and shut down for giving advice on the Internet, often for free, to people around the planet who have no other access to veterinary care for their animals. http://www.ij.org/TXVetSpeech

]]>VideosWed, 05 Dec 2001 06:00:00 +0000The Dirty Game of AZ's "Clean Elections"https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/timkzvjdgy/177
https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/timkzvjdgy/177The Institute for Justice is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review and reverse a decision of the Ninth U.S. Court of Appeals, which upheld Arizona's system of financing campaigns that uses taxpayer money to punish traditionally funded candidates and independent speakers. The case involves the "matching funds" provision of Arizona's so-called "Clean Elections" Act. The case (Arizona Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett) seeks to vindicate the rights of independent political groups and candidates who do not take taxpayer funds to speak freely during political campaigns without having the government attempt to "level the playing field."]]>VideosWed, 05 Dec 2001 06:00:00 +0000License to Describe: Defeating Washington D.C.'s Tour Guide Licensing Schemehttps://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/tebyacy4k9m/177
https://www.ij.org/freedomflix/video/tebyacy4k9m/177quite literally, a license to describe.
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